Stalked
by Virals13
Summary: When a mysterious figure starts following Tory and the gang, what will happen? Who is it, and why are they following the Virals? Rated T for language. Ben/Tory
1. Not My Best Day

"**Hi!" I yelled out the window. "What the hell are you doing?"**

**He was sneaking around the back of the complex, looking for all the world like some kid playing spies.**

**He held up a finger to his lips, and gestured for me to come down. **

**Once outside, I started to sweat. Figures. Hi had his back to the wall, and was crouching down, scanning the yard. I stifled a laugh as Cooper jumped him. **

"**Tory," Hi whined, wrestling Coop. "Call him off."**

**Chuckling, I whistled. After barking a couple times to show who was in charge, Coop ran to my side. I offered Hi a hand and helped him up.**

"**What are you doing?" Shelton joined the picture. **

"**Hiding from Ruth." Hi mumbled, eyes darting. "I'm still on lockdown. Let's get Ben and head to the bunker."**

"**Where is Ben?" Shelton asked.**

**Hi and I shrugged. Then I grinned. "Check this out."**

**I knelt down before Coop. He cocked his head, and licked my nose. I laughed. "Ben, Coop. Go get Ben!"**

**Cooper charged down towards the dock, barking at the top of his lungs. **

"**What's he going to do?" Shelton, wary.**

"**Is he going to hurt Ben?" Hi, hopeful.**

"**Just wait and see. Hi – um, no."**

"**Bummer."**

**Two minutes later, we heard barking, and a string of curses. Hi and Shelton looked at me, not sure what to expect. I grinned as Coop charged back into site, the hem of Ben's black shirt in his jaws. With one final joyous bark, Coop let go and headbutted Ben into me. **

"**Oof!" I huffed as we hit the ground, noses skimming. I met his dark eyes, and blushed furiously. "Uh, you can get up now."**

"**I would, if your dog wasn't sitting on my back. And he's not exactly a puppy anymore. " Coop leaned over Ben's shoulder, and licked my cheek. **

"**Yeah, yeah, love you too boy. You mind getting off?"**

**He yipped, but stayed put. Hi and Shelton burst into hysterics. **

**I sighed, and thought of the cotillion event I had tonight. Me and the Tripod, stuck hosting the evening. Madison with her snide remarks about my borrowed dress...**

**SNAP**

**I opened golden eyes, and saw Ben raise his eyebrows. This close, with the flare, I could see every minute detail of his face.**

**And it didn't look bad. **

**I shook that off, and pictured the flaming ropes connecting our pack. Finding the one attached to Cooper, I mentally shook it.**

_**Get off!**_

**He yelped and jumped off, tackling Shelton. I laughed as Ben pulled me up.**

**SNUP**

"**Can we please get down to the bunker before my mother misses me?" Hi whined.**

**I grinned. "Fine. On one condition."**

"**What?"**

"**Lose the diamond earring."**

**He pouted. "Tory!"**

**I crossed my arms. "Whatever. You know, I haven't talked to Ruth in a while –"**

**Ben chuckled.**

"**Fine!" Hi pulled out the diamond and slipped it in his pocket, muttering about black mail the whole way down to the bunker. **

**The place had been completely redone. Pieces of dark wood covered the dirt floor, comfortable chairs and couches replaced the rickety chairs and benches, and a glass deck table replaced the spindly old kitchen one.**

**I flopped down on the couch, and huffed as Coop jumped up on my stomach. I nodded at Hi. "Spill."**

**He nervously rubbed his toe on the ground. "Okay, but don't freak."**

**Oh, damn, that didn't sound good.**

"**My mom was doing the whole 'community watch' thing, and she saw you a couple times the past few days. Running, going down to the dock, walking Coop, fooling around with us." He paused, toe moving faster. "She said there had been a guy following you all of those times."**

**Dead beat of silence. Then Ben and Shelton started chattering.**

"**What do you mean, follow –"**

"**What did he look –"**

"**What do you think he wants –"**

"**Hold up!" I yelled. "One at a time."**

"**Why would he be stalking _Tory?"_**

**I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks Shelton."**

**He spluttered. "That's not what I meant."**

"**I think it's obvious." Ben muttered. **

"**Spill it, Blue."**

"**The Flares."**

_**Goddamn it.**_

**Chaos erupted. General shouts of "how could they know?" and "what are we going to do?" and just plain curses. **

**I tossed a cushion at Hi in the middle of a rant containing some very unpleasant four-letter words. **

"**Shut up, let's think this through before we go all apeshit."**

**Ben smiled at me, before realizing what he was doing and his stare went blank again.**

_**Ah, hell.**_

**I was a Viral with seriously messed up DNA, and a stalker. The last thing I needed right now was boy-drama. I already had to deal with Jason tonight.**

"**Oh shit!" I yelled, checking my watch. **

"**What?" The boys demanded.**

"**Cotillion thing in half an hour. Whitney's gonna kill me."**

**They smirked. **

"**Screw you guys. I have to spend the night with the Tripod and Jason."**

"**Need a ride?" Ben asked.**

**I shook my head sourly. "Apparently, I'm required to bring a date. So unless you're volunteering, Whitney already set me and Jason up."**

**I groaned and kicked the wall. **

**I left the guys laughing behind me.**


	2. The First Note

**I walked out the front door half an hour later, severely ticked off. I was wearing a black floor length gown with a slit up the leg. Whitney had plastered more makeup on my face than my mom had had in her room, and loaded my wrists, neck and ears with silver jewelry.**

**Gross.**

**The boys were just coming up from the bunker. Their eyes went wide as saucers, and mouths hanging open. Hi whistled.**

**They laughed as I flipped them off. Jason pulled up, and looked at the laughing boys.**

**The contrast was amazing. Jason, bright and gold in his tux, and my friends grimy from the day with cut off shorts and t-shirts.**

**It wasn't hard to pick which one I would rather spend tonight with.**

**But I still ended up in the car, speeding towards the Yacht Club.**

**Whitney was going to get it. **

**The inside was a disaster. Twinkling lights every where, waiters and waitresses toting trays of champagne flutes filled with apple cider.**

**The night wasn't going to get any better. I could see that as the Tripod walked over. **

"**About time you got here. We have to speak for you in about two minutes." **

**Jason smiled. "My fault, girls. I was late picking her up."**

**Madison's gaze turned sugary sweet as it transferred to Jason."Oh, don't be silly. I'm sure it wasn't _your _fault."**

**I rolled my eyes. "Where's your date Maddy? I thought they were mandatory."**

**She glared at me. "Yes, well – oh! Here he is now. **

**I turned, and nearly flared. **

**Ben.**

**Sweet Jesus.**

"**Yoo-hoo! Ben!" Madison trilled. **

**Yoo-hoo? Who the hell said "yoo-hoo?"**

**He walked over, looking highly uncomfortable in a tux. "Hey Tory."**

"**Um, hi." My eyes screaming _what the hell?_**

**Jason nodded tightly. "Ben."**

"**Jesse."**

**He sighed. "Jason."**

"**Right. Whatever."**

**He looked at my dress for a second, before turning back to Madison, who was dying to get his attention.**

"**May I have this dance?" Jason smiled slightly.**

**I nodded, allowing him to lead me to the dance floor.**

**After a few minutes of spinning and twirling, and feeling faintly nauseous, Madison had to welcome me as a junior debutante. Joy.**

**The two of us stood up there with our dates. Madison had to force the words out through clenched teeth, and I almost puked giving my speech. **

**I danced with Jason a couple more times, and with some other boys who were semi-civil. Not with Ben. Madison had him in a death grip like she never wanted to let him go.**

**Finally, it was over.**

**Well, for me anyways. Madison and the Tripod loved these things, so it was anyone's guess how long Ben would end up being here. **

**As I walked out, The Tripod ambushed me. **

**From bad to worse.**

**Perfect.**

"**Nice dress, boat girl. Where'd you get it, your fairy godmother?"**

"**Nope. Yours."**

**She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. It would be pretty, if that rip wasn't so high." **

**I glanced down in confusion. It wasn't that high. Not even halfway up my thigh.**

**Madison stepped forward and ripped it up to my ribcage.**

**I stared in shock, panic rippling through me. I couldn't afford this dress, no way. It was at least $2,000. Ashley stepped forward and ripped the delicate embroidery off the waist line, tearing it in the process. Finally, Courtney dumped a plate of caviar over my head. **

**I pulled the ruined dress around me, trying to cover myself, and pushed my soaked hair out of my eyes. **

"**Hey!" Two shouts. I looked up, and saw Jason and Ben running towards us.**

**SNAP**

_**Shit**_**. I turned on my heel, walking anywhere, trying to calm down so I could turn off the flare.**

**It didn't help that I could hear the boys chewing the Tripod out, and them trying to pin it on me.**

**Finally, I was able to shove the wolf away.**

**SNUP**

**Just in time. Footsteps pounded up the path behind me.**

**I didn't know who I wanted it to be less – Ben or Jason.**

**Until I turned around and saw Ben.**

**I didn't want him to see me like this. No, not just him. Hi, Shelton, Whitney, my dad. Anybody. And I just didn't want to see Jason right now. **

**Without a word, he offered me his jacket and walked to _Sewee._**

**I followed without saying anything. There wasn't much I could say.**

**After firing off a text to Hi and Shelton, I snuck in the back door, changed, and walked down to the bunker. Ben was already there, playing fetch with Coop. I sat down in one of the chairs, curled up in pyjama pants and a tank top. We didn't say anything for awhile.**

"**How did you end up going as Madison's date?" I asked quietly. It's not like I cared or anything... Just curious.**

_**Yeah right.**_

"**She asked. I knew you didn't like going. Figured it might be easier with a friendly face." He sighed. "Guess not."**

"**Whitney's gonna kill me."**

"**What did you do to piss Barbie off this time?" Hi sauntered in, grinning.**

"**It wasn't me. Madison and company trashed my dress."**

**Shelton shrugged. "Just wash it."**

"**No, like completely trashed it. As in, ripped it to shreds. While I was wearing it. Not to mention the fish eggs they dumped on my head."**

**They grimaced in sympathy. "Maybe you can buy the dress. How much did it cost?" Hi said.**

**I sighed. "At least $2,000."**

**They all choked. **

"**Yeah, complete waste of money. Try telling that to Whitney."**

**We sat for a minute in silence. "I need to go. Whitney and Kit will be getting home from the movies soon."**

"**I'll come. Tell them you didn't wreck it."**

"**It's fine. She'll never believe they did it. They're 'proper ladies.'"**

**Hi snorted. **

**Pretty soon we were all laughing. The idea of the Tripod being proper ladies was too much to handle.**

**Finally, we returned home, Hi stalling as much as possible. After being out all day, Ruth was going to kill him. I walked down the water's edge, watching the dim lights from LIRI twinkle in the distance. **

**My neck prickled, and I whipped around. Nobody. **

**So why was I so freaked?**

**I got home, and ran up the stairs. On my desk was a note from Kit.**

Staying at Whitney's for the night. Love you.

**I sighed, then frowned. There was another piece of paper. Slowly opening it, I started panicking.**

Red are roses,

Green is thyme,

I know who you are,

And you will be mine.

**I ran to my Mac and pulled up iFollow. **

**One by one, the faces popped up in the corners. **

**Hi. "Sup buttercup?"**

"**Yo Tory." Shelton.**

**Ben just nodded. Man of many words, that one.**

**Wordlessly, I held up the note. As they read it, they started swearing. **

"**I know. Perfect timing, huh?"**

"**What do you mean?"**

"**If Ruth hadn't seen that guy following me, I would've thought it was a joke from Kit or one of you. But now..."**

"**Now we know someone's actually following you."**

**I sighed. "As if our lives weren't complicated enough**


	3. Life's a Beach

Here you go; Chapter 3. Enjoy!

**School was starting again. And I was so getting used to _not_ having to see the Tripod's faces everyday. **

**Apparently Hi was having the same thoughts. "Stupid school," he yawned. "I should still be in bed right now."**

**I groaned in response. "How do you think I feel? I _was _in bed, until you called me on iFollow and kept me up half the night."**

**Ben chuckled. Him and Shelton weren't tired, of course. _They _had thought to turn of their computers and phones. And the smug grins on their faces were _not_ helping my mood.**

**Losers.**

**The ferry docked at the school, and I stumbled getting off. Feeling a warm hand on my arm, I looked up at Ben. He nodded curtly, and walked towards the school.**

_**Man save girl. Man no speak.**_

**Excuse me while I go slap him.**

**I shook my head, snapping out of it. And plowing into Jason Taylor.**

**Jeez...**

"**Sorry, Tor. Didn't see you there." He gave me a grin, like that was a compliment. I was _so _not in the flirting mood. **

"**No problem." It came out slurred. **

**He raised an eyebrow. "Tired?"**

"**You have no idea. Hi kept me up half the night on iFollow."**

**Jason laughed. "So, tonight wouldn't be a good night for a party?"**

"**Nope."**

**I smiled slightly and trudged to class.**

**It was not going to be a good day.**

**After school, Ben, Hi, and Shelton were standing on the dock at LIRI beside me. Hi was trying to get Ben to let him drive _Sewee._ Unsuccessfully. **

"**Cooper!" I yelled, and he cam bounding down from the bunker into the boat, knocking Ben over the side. I laughed as Hi jumped in the boat and tried desperately to turn it on. **

"**Go, go, go!" He yelled, then shrieked and jumped in the water. Ben was glaring at him holding a long stick. I doubled over, clutching my stomach. Shelton chose that moment to shove me in the water. I windmilled my arms for a second, trying to find my balance, but gave up and grabbed Shelton's wrist as we hit the warm blue waves. **

**Well, Shelton did. I fell on top of Ben.**

**Bubbles spiralled up around us. I couldn't tell up from down, and I was completely tangled in Ben.**

**SNAP**

**Dammit. **

**I opened my eyes, and they popped wide in shock. Everything was crystal clear, and had the microscopic details of a flare. **

**I glanced over at Ben, and saw golden eyes that matched mine. I shrugged, and moved to swim deeper. **

**I went flying through the water with one kick, and plowed into the ground. I could hear Ben laughing. Then he spluttered, and shot towards the surface. I grinned, and swam around, careful not to run into any rocks or debris. **

**Suddenly I froze in my tracks as a bright flash of colour caught my eye. A cold ball of dread settled in my stomach. **

**A bright yellow sneaker.**

**Attached to a khaki pants.**

**With a lab coat on top.**

**And to complete the picture, a head on top.**

**I'd just found Dr. Karsten's body. **

Don't kill me! The next chapter will be up tomorrow, possibly tonight if I get inspired. So, what did you guys think? I want to hear it. Click that review button and let me know. See ya soon!

~V13


	4. Story of My Life

**I shot up towards the surface. When it broke over my head, I realized just how far I had swam out. **

**I was just off the shore from the old bunker. Duh. That's where we saw the murderers dump Karsten's body. I berated myself for not realizing it before.**

**I should swim back, I thought. The guys will be worried.**

**SNUP.**

**Perfect timing. **

**Suddenly, I was gasping for air, muscles screaming in exhaustion. I struck out for the shore. Curling up on the warm sand, I instantly fell asleep. **

**Waking up sometime later, I could hear men's voices from somewhere near by. On instinct, I kept my eyes closed.**

"**We need to move his body!" One hissed.**

"**Please. They have no credibility with the police after the remains that they reported as human turned out to be a monkey's."**

"**Which skeleton, I may add, led them to solving the Katherine Heaton murder!"**

"**We had nothing to do with that."**

"**We did kill Karsten though. If we move him, it will just motivate her and her friends that something is still going on with the virus."**

**I stiffened, then relaxed. **

**There was a beat of dead silence. Then, "We should leave. She'll wake up soon, and it won't be long before the cavalry comes rushing in to save her."**

**I drifted in and out of consciousness. Sometime after dark, I heard the guys calling my name. I yawned, standing up and shaking my head, then walked over. **

"**What's up?" I asked Ben.**

**He stared at me. "Really, Tory? You disappear for _six hours_ and ask me what's up?"**

**My forehead scrunched up. "I had something to tell you..." I muttered.**

**He waited for a second. "What was it?"**

"**I can't remember."**

**Hi rolled his eyes. "Oh fearless ring leader. Brave, cunning, clever," he glared at me. "Forgetful."**

**I grinned and shrugged. "I'll remember later. In the meantime –"**

"**Victoria Brennan!" Kit's voice rang out. I grimaced, as Ben smirked and Hi crowed "someone's in trouble!"**

**Shelton and Hi took off. I pinned him with a glare as Ben made to follow them. He sighed and shuffled awkwardly. **

**Kit came down the slope with Coop bounding ahead of him. Ben looked at me pleadingly. _Can I leave? _was written all over his face. I shook my head stubbornly. Coop jumped up and liked my face before tackling Ben. I couldn't help laughing as they wrestled in the sand, Coop barking and growling playfully, Ben laughing and panting.**

**Until Kit got my attention again.**

**He stomped up to me. "School ended _seven hours ago. _Where _were you?"_**

"**Um," I glanced at Ben, pleading for help. Grinning, he shook his head. I rolled my eyes. **

"**Kit! Did you find her?" Whitney's southern drawl dipped in honey called. She ran up – as well as she could run in heels on the beach – and pulled me into a suffocating hug. I almost gagged from her overwhelming perfume. "Oh, darling, we were so worried! Don't ever go off on us again, alright?" She pulled back, glaring at me, then grabbed me in another hug. **

**And that's when she caught sight of Ben. She sighed, about to lecture me on my lack of female friends, when she noticed Hi and Shelton weren't there. A smile started to slowly spread across her face.**

**Oh, this wasn't going to be good.**

"**Victoria Brennan. Did you go on a date without telling me and your father?"**

**I don't know who's face was more red – mine or Ben's.**

**I spluttered. "N-no! We weren't on a date! Shelton and Hi were here a second ago..." I trailed off, knowing how lame that sounded. _Smooth, Brennan, real smooth. _"Um, I asked Ben to help me find Coop. I didn't know he had gone home."**

"**Of course you did sweetie." Whitney stalked a circle around Ben, who looked at me with panicked eyes. I shrugged helplessly. "Yes, I suppose he is rather cute."**

**I was pretty sure if my face got any redder, my head would explode. "I never said he was cute!"**

**She cocked her head. "Then who did you say was cute?"**

**I groaned. "I never said _anybody _was cute."**

**Kit grinned. "I think it was that Jason Taylor."**

**Backstabbing Judas.**

"**I did not!" I shouted indignantly. _"She _said we'd be cute _together." _I pointed at Whitney.**

"**So, did you go on a date with him, then?"**

**I sighed. "I didn't go on a date with _anyone."_**

**She nodded, finally getting it. This thought dissolved when she turned to Ben and asked, "would you like to go on a date with Tory?"**

"**Whitney!" I yelled. **

**Ben glanced at me. **

**SNAP**

**Ah, _shit._**

**Ben's eyes popped wide. I dropped my head, and grabbed Kit's ball cap. I pulled my hair through the back, and jammed it down over my eyes. I could smell excitement from Whitney, amusement from Kit, and panic from Ben. Coop was blissfully ignorant, playing in the waves. **

**The waves... what was important about – Dr Karsten! I gasped as Kit frowned at me. "Why did you steal my hat?"**

"**My hair was bugging me," I muttered. "Whitney, leave Ben alone, you're making him uncomfortable. Can we go home? I'm tired."**

**Kit nodded, still grinning. Whitney muttered something about no fun.**

**I whistled for Coop, still trying to shut off the flare. I spent the rest of the walk home, staring at the ground, trying to force the fire in my veins back to wherever it came from. **

**When it kept cheerfully burning up my insides, I let it go. **

**Trudging up to my room, I booted up my Mac and iFollow. I really, _really _needed to tell them about Dr. Karsten. **

**SNUP**

**Oh, sure, _now_ it goes off.**

**Four squares popped up on my screen. Hi and Shelton had identical grins on their faces, and Ben was scowling. That was never a good sign. **

"**So, Beauty Queen. How was your hot date?" Hi cracked up with Shelton. I sighed, letting them have their fun. **

**For a minute.**

"**Oh, shut up, will you? Listen –"**

"**I don't want to hear that you guys are _just friends_. Don't deny your love to me."**

**I rolled my eyes. "I found –"**

"**Your one true love?"**

"**Karsten's body, you idiot." I snapped. **

**Dead silence. **

"**Please tell me that's what you couldn't remember, and that's it."**

"**That's part of what I couldn't remember." I relayed the whispered conversation I heard.**

"**Well," Hi muttered after thirty seconds of dead silence. "We're screwed."**

**Story of my life. **

**A rock sailed through the window, and hit the floor, I stared at it with my mouth open, the glanced up. A sudden rush of thankfullness went through me when I realized I had opened it this morning. **

**I pulled the piece of paper off and spread it over my desk.**

Little girl, this is not a mystery you and your friends want to stick your noses in.

If you do, don't be surprised when it bites you in the face.\

Leave it alone.

"**Dammit, another one?"**

**A bigger rock followed the other one's path. I had enough time to fell the sharp pain in my head, hear the guys' cries of warning, before black engulfed my vision.**

****So, I really wanted to get this up half an hour ago, but my computer spazzed. Twice. And then died. So, I'm really really sorry about the second cliff hanger in a row. But I'll probably be able to get in a couple more updates before Monday. Sigh Who else is completely bummed out about going back to school? I won't be able to update as much, but I'll probably end up blowing off homework for this...

Anyways, two more days left. Enjoy them! I plan to ;)

Until Later then,

~V13


	5. Concussions and Prince Charmings

Chapter 5! Kind of short, but necessary. Enjoy! :)

"**Tory. Tory, wake up!" Someone was shaking me. I swatted blindly at them as a sharp pain shot through my head. I reached up a hand to feel the injured area, and winced. Peeling my eyes open one by one, I could see my hand had flakes of dried blood on it. **

**Hi looked down at me worriedly, with Ben and Shelton leaning over his shoulders. Shelton sighed. "You had us worried there, Tor." He pushed his glasses up his nose.**

**Ben glared down at me.**

"**What? It's not my fault some psycho decided to chuck a rock at my head," I groaned. **

"**Come on. We should get you to the hospital."**

**I sighed. "Why?"**

"**You might have a concussion. Hell, you probably do."**

**Deaf to my protests, they hauled me to my feet. I groaned at clutched my head, swaying. Hi glared at Ben. "Well?"**

**Ben stared back, confused. "Well, what?" **

"**Shelton and I ain't carrying her."**

**I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks. Love you guys too."**

**Hi grinned. Ben sighed and swung me up in his arms. My Prince Charming. I gasped as my head gave one viscous stab of pain, and pressed the heels of my hands to my temples. **

"**Sorry," he murmered. **

"**Not you fault." I ground out between my teeth.**

**We got to the bottom of the stairs, and Hi yelled out. "Mr. Howard?"**

**Kit came running out of the living room. He blinked at the sight of my friends. "What are you guys doing here?"**

**Hi shot him a sheepish smile. "We were on iFollow, when Tory here decided to go get a drink. She tripped over a huge book – I think it was a textbook – and took a header into the dresser. Smart one here knocked herself out, so we climbed in through her window to make sure she was okay."**

"**So, Ben... Why are you carrying her?"**

**I showed him the dried blood in my red hair. His eyebrows shot up. "We're taking her to the hospital to make sure she doesn't have a concussion." Ben explained. **

"**Do you guys want me to drive?" He said, uncomfortable. **

**Shelton shook his head. "It's probably nothing serious. She's just a little dizzy."**

**Kit nodded, obviously lost. "Well, alright. Fell better, sweetie."**

**My vision blurred once we were outside. I groaned and leaned against Ben, hiding me face in his shoulder, trying to make the spinning stop. When it just made everything worse, I opened my eyes. **

"**Ben, lemme down."**

**All three looked at me like I was crazy.**

"**Seriously." He set me on my feet, hands ready in case I dropped. I stumbled over to the bushes, and emptied my stomach into them. Shelton looked at me worriedly. "We really need to get you to the hospital."**

**I leaned my head against the seat, the wind from the window cooling my face. I climbed out of the car, the cold air helping my balance a little.**

**We sat in the ER for about ten minutes before being called in. The doctor did some tests, before cleaning up the cut and stitching it shut. He gave me a face wipe to clean up some of the blood on my cheek, temple and chin. **

"**You have a mild concussion. How did you hit your head?"**

"**I tripped over a textbook in my room, fell against the dresser and bonked my head."**

**The doctor frowned. "From your dresser?"**

**I nodded. **

"**This wound doesn't look like something that would occur from hitting your head on a sharp corner. And you'd usually hit your forehead if you tripped, not the side of your heaf."**

**_Think fast, Tory._ "It's a rounded corner. I turned my head, because I didn't want to bash in my face." Shrug. "Seemed like a pretty good idea at the time."**

**Ben rolled his eyes.**

**The doctor wrote a subscription for some pain meds, and suggested I take the day off school tomorrow.**

**I wasn't going to say no.**

**On the way back, Ben pulled over at the bunker. I plopped down on the couch, then growled as it jostled my head. **

**Hi glanced at me. "Okay, since you're out of commission for a bit, that keeps the B & Es to a minimum, right?"**

**I scowled. "I don't even have a place to break into." I paused. "Or maybe I do."**

**The boys groaned.**

Filler chapter. Oh well. Next chapter will be up tomorrow. Pinky swear.

~V13


	6. Dr Karsten's Contract

**We sat in the foliage on Turtle Beach, staring at the LIRI building.**

"**This is crazy," Hi muttered. "Insane. I can't believe we're here _again. _You know, since last time we caught a _DNA-altering virus." _**

"**Shut up," I mumbled, not paying attention. They had gotten better security since we last broke in, courtesy of Dr. Karsten. They now had five security guards making rounds, with about forty seconds in between, and better security cameras. They still had blind spots, which Shelton had marked down on a crudely drawn map. They boys were studying it. **

**We were better equipped this time too. We had better smell, sight, hearing, strength. We could do this no problem. **

**Closing my eyes, I could see Dr. Karsten's body at the bottom of the ocean, hear the men talking about how there was still something going on with the virus - **

**SNAP**

**The sights, sounds, and smells hit me hard. I glanced up, and saw how close we were to the full moon. **

**Hi had already flared, golden eyes staring back at me as I turned. Looking over at Shelton, I saw the gold flood into eyes. **

**Ben was having trouble. I grimaced. He wasn't going to be a happy camper for the rest of the night.**

_**Maybe Tory should kiss him...**_

"**Hi!" I hissed. **

**He flushed. "Get out of my head!"**

"**Don't think that!"**

"**Well, it might work."**

"**What might work?" Shelton chimed in. **

**Hi grinned. "I'm not kicking him in the ass this time. That turned out so well for me last time."**

"**Well, I slapped him the first time."**

**We looked at Shelton. "Nuh-uh." He waved his hands in front of him. "No way."**

**Hi looked at me. "That leaves you, Beauty Queen. He didn't throw you in the ocean last time."**

"**I'm still here, you guys." Ben muttered.**

**I bit my lip. If I hit him, I'd get chucked up against a tree. But if I kissed him... I flushed in embarrassment. **

**Hi was staring at me expectantly. Sighing, I crawled over until I knelt in front of Ben. "Hey," I muttered.**

**He opened his eyes warily, getting ready to flinch away if my hand flashed out. I groaned, then grabbed his face and kissed him.**

**If I wasn't already, I would've flared. As it was, gold star bursts erupted in Ben's eyes. I heard Hi's sharp intake of breath; he didn't think I was going to actually do it.**

**I pulled back, blushing furiously. I looked at Shelton, who stared back with wide eyes. "How long since the last security guard passed?"**

"**Uh," he glanced down at his watch. "The next one should be coming any second."**

**We crouched near the edge of the trees, waiting for the security guard so we could go. Ben's breath on the back of my neck was making my jittery.**

"**He's gone," I breathed. "Let's go."**

**We flew down the path, dropping at the fence. Where it had taken Shelton over a minute last time, it took less then ten seconds this time. We ran and sat in a conveniently placed bush, waiting for the next guard. When she passed, we swung open the fence, and took off across the clearing. **

**Ben was last; he closed the gate, and sprinted to catch up. Shelton led the way through the cameras' blind spots. Hi followed, and I stayed behind Hi, urging him on. **

**We rounded the corner of Lab Six in under three seconds. We took a breather for a second, then Shelton went to work on the service door. **

**I started getting antsy after thirty seconds. The guard was due in the next ten seconds. **

"**Hurry," I hissed. **

**The lock popped. We were in.**

**For some reason, Lab Six had never started back up. When I asked Kit, he said they were keeping it closed for a year in respect of Dr. Karsten. Lucky break for us.**

**We ran up the stairs, careful not to make any noise. There was no need for lights this time. With our heightened senses, it was clear as day.**

**Ben got to the steel door first. He punched 3-3-3-3 in on the keypad. To my horror, the light flashed red.**

**They stared at me in dismay. Then, Ben looked at me curiously. "Tory, when's your birthday?"**

**I started. "Huh?"**

**Hi rolled his eyes. "You can worry about getting her a present when we're _not _committing felonies."**

"**Tory?" He stared at me insistently. **

"**Uh, December 12."**

**He punched in something, and the light flashed green.**

**I grinned. "How did you do that?"**

**He shrugged. "Your dad is the new director, right? My mom's bank card pin is my birthday. I figured he might set it as yours."**

"**Genius," Hi muttered. "Let's go before we get caught, shall we?"**

**We pushed open the door. Once inside, I turned to my troops. "You guys know the drill. Anything that mentions Coop, Whisper, her pack, or the virus. In and out in ten minutes. Let's move."**

**I took the filing cabinet. Locked. I gave a sharp tug on the handle, and winced as the lock cracked. I rifled through the papers, and gave a sharp gasp. The boys rushed over. **

**In the event that a human catches XPB-19, said persons will be taken into custody of**** – then name was blacked out – ****and put to use accordingly.**

"**Put to use accordingly?" Hi whispered. "What does that mean?"**

**I kept reading.**

**Experiments will be held and tested to find a cure for the disease if one exists. If one is found, stray dogs will be infected, to pass on the virus to humans. The cure will only be sold through us. If no cure is found after 90 days, subjects will be terminated in a humane fashion.**

"**What does this mean?" Ben asked.**

**I looked up at them. My expression was reflected on their faces. Scared, worried, and tired of having to take care of ourselves. **

"**It means," I looked down at the contract, signed by Dr. Karsten. "It means it's time we told someone about this stalker."**

****This had got to be my favourite chapter so far.

I think you can expect one more chapter before they start coming slower. Anyways, was this your favourite chapter? What's your favourite part of the story so far? Let me know; I'll put more elements like that in. If there's anything you want to see in the story, tell me and I'll try to incorporate it.

Hope you guys enjoyed this.

~V13


	7. Attack of the Barbie

**We should've gone to Kit right away. But my house had been invaded by a make up wearing, perfume smelling, honey talking demon.**

**In other words, Whitney was eating over.**

**The boys walked with me inside. Covered in mud from the day, loud and joking, I'm pretty sure we gave Miss Cotillion a heart attack. **

"**Oh, Tory!" She gasped. Hi, Shelton and Ben froze. "What are you _wearing?_"**

**I glanced down, and grimaced. Since we had been breaking into LIRI, I was wearing dark jeans, a black t-shirt, and hiking boots. All splattered with mud and sea water. My hair probably wasn't much better.**

"**Uh..."**

"**Come on. Kit, darling? I'm taking Tory to the salon. This tomboy act has gotten way out of hand. We'll be back by ten."**

**I shot the boys a look of horror. They visibly trying to hold in their laughter. **

"**Uh, Whitney, I have to talk to my dad about something. Maybe some other time."**

**She pursed her lips. "What are you doing tomorrow?"**

"**Hanging with these dorks." I hooked a thumb at the boys.**

**She smiled, showing off a perfect set of straight white teeth. "Perfect! We'll go tomorrow."**

**My jaw dropped. "What? But I just said –"**

**She waved a hand. "Yes, but you see them everyday. We're going tomorrow. No excuses." She paused on the way back to the kitchen. "Ben, dear, would you like to stay for dinner? I made lasagna."**

**Ben looked panicked, and Hi and Shelton we're now making awkward coughing sounds with the effort of not laughing. "Uh, my dad is –"**

"**Making a late run to the city. So you'd be home alone anyways. Go wash up with Tory, then join us in the kitchen." She paused again. "And no funny business." She winked.**

"**Whitney!" I yelled, face burning. Sweet Lord, that woman never stoppped.**

**Hi and Shelton waved goodbye, then raced out of the house. We could hear them laughing. **

"**You don't have to stay," I said hastily. **

**He shook his head. "Nah, she'll get me eventually. I'd rather have you for backup then get caught alone." **

**I laughed. "Fair point."**

**We went upstairs and scrubbed. I changed into better clothes in my closet. Ben came out, to see me glaring at the tube of lip gloss in my hand.**

"**Tory. Why the hell are you staring at a tube of lip gloss?" **

"**Whitney's gonna insist I wear it anyways. Might as well just put it on now." I sighed, and swiped it across my lips.**

**He chuckled. "I'm surprised you even have that."**

**I laughed. "So am I."**

**We thundered down the stairs, and slipped into chairs. **

**The first few seconds were filled with the sounds of clattering utensils. Ben and I kept our eyes on our plates, hoping to avoid conversation.**

"**So," Whitney started. I sighed so much for that. "How was your date?"**

"**We didn't go on a date," I groaned.**

"**Mhmm," She said. "Ben, have you kissed her yet?"**

**We froze, cheeks going so red they must have been purple. "No, Whitney, he hasn't kissed me." It was technically true. _I _had kissed _him._ **

**She pouted. Then, as if reading my mind, she asked, "Have you kissed him?"**

"**Whitney!" I yelled. "Enough! You have no idea how awkward your making the both of us feel right now. We're _just friends."_ Unfortunately. Whoa, no, no. I have no idea where that thought came from. **

"**For now." She smiled slyly. _Shit. _**

**After she'd left, we got Hi and Shelton, who were reluctant to let it go, but agreed that the stalker was more important. **

**I bit my lip. "I was thinking about it, and I don't think we should tell anyone. For now, they're just watching us. If we tell someone, they'll take us. They have huge funding, and could very well take us if they wanted to."**

**Ben nodded. Hi stared at me. "So, we're _not_ going to tell someone that we're being watched by a company who wants to experiment on us to find a cure for a man-made disease, then kill us off if they can't?"**

**I nodded. "Exactly."**

**Hi groaned. "I get your point. I don't like it, but I agree with it. It might not be a good option, but at this point, it's the only option we have."**

**On that depressing note, we lapsed into silence. **


	8. Why me?

**Where to begin?**

**Well, it felt like I had a second face, my hair was being yanked out of my scalp, three more nails were being added on to each finger, and Hades himself had just sentenced me eternity in the Fields of Punishment.**

**Alright, I'm exaggerating. But not by much.**

**As soon as I had gotten out of school, she had picked me up and drove to a fancy salon on Mt. Pleasant, leaving the boys howling with laughter behind us. **

**Whitney. Lord help us all. **

**Her "personal stylist" had been absolutely delighted with the challenge that I was. And, judging by Whitney's coos of happiness, she was doing a pretty good job.**

**In their dictionary. In mine, they were failing.**

**Epically.**

"**Oh, Tory. You look beautiful," Whitney squealed.**

**I smiled tightly around the goo on my face. "Are we almost done?"**

**Jenny, a tiny redhead who's hair was so bright she looked like a stop sign, nodded. "Almost. We just need to wash off the face mask, and apply your makeup. A few touch ups to your nails and hair, and you're done!"**

**Apparently, almost meant twenty minutes. That's how long it was before I was finally allowed to sit up, and look at the finished product.**

**I blinked, and so did the girl in the mirror. She had gray-green eyeshadow, making her green eyes pop, and light red lipstick that made my pale New England skin seem even paler. **

**Her hair is what really freaked me out. It had been cut into choppy layers, which would be a pain to pull into a ponytail. The usual red had been streaked through with blonde. The nail polish and makeup would come off. The highlights? Not so much. **

**As much as I looked, I couldn't find my face in there. That was _not me._**

"**Beautiful," I mumbled. "Thanks, Whitney. Can we go now? I have a whole bunch of homework due tomorrow."**

**After Whitney dropped me off at home, I ran down to the bunker. **

**Should've washed the makeup off first.**

**The boys took one look at me - or a version of me - froze, then fell to the ground laughing. **

"**Thanks for the sympathy. Love you too," I grumbled. Coop ran at me, and, following the boys lead, froze. He whined, and took a couple steps back. This just made the dweebs on the ground laugh harder.**

**I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to the beach."**

**Sitting on the sand, I probably should've been thinking about the stalker, or how my teachers were going to kill me if I didn't get my homework done, or how _I_ was going to kill _Whitney_ if she ever did this again.**

**But, instead, I was thinking about Ben. Kissing him, to be exact.**

**My cheeks flushed scarlet. Shouldn't be thinking about this, don't think about it...**

**My brain wasn't listening. It kept going over it, and over it, and _over _it. **

**It wasn't like I'd wanted to. It was just to make him Flare.**

_**Yeah, right.**_

**Suddenly, a cold ball of slime slipped down my spine as I heard the unmistakeable sound off a gun being cocked, and a rough man's voice saying "Make one move, I'll put eight rounds through that pretty red hair."**

**SNAP.**

**Frantically searching, I found the three lines that flamed while we were flaring. Now, they were dead and gray as ash.**

_**Virals, flare!**_

"**Turn around, _slowly, _with your hands in the air."**

**I slowly rotated until I could see the man holding me at gunpoint. He was tall, _really _tall, with some seriously ripped muscles. Dressed in ripped jeans and a dirty flannel shirt, he looked ragged and feral. I felt around for the lines again, _Virals, flare NOW._ I could feel Hi's line spark to life. My situation went whizzing down the line. His annoyance at being forced to flare turned into serious panic. **

"**Why are your eyes gold?"**

**I swallowed, and licked my lips. "I'm flaring. That's what happens when a huge input of emotion happens."**

"**Wolves may be fast, but bullets are faster."**

**Behind cigarette smoke, cheap cologne, and mustiness, I could smell the dark, heavy scent of nervousness. I nodded slowly. "I know."**

**Shelton's line crackled into flames. He was panicking.**

_**Tory, Tory, Tory – **_

_**Shelton! What's going on?**_

_**Ben can't flare. **_**He thought miserably.**

"**I want you to slowly turn around. If you do one thing, I'll –"**

"**Put eight rounds through my pretty red hair," I muttered sourly.**

**The cold metal of the barrel pressed up against my skull. Hi and Shelton's panic was turning into hysteria as they watched Ben try to flare.**

"**Little girl, do you know what type of gun this is?"**

**I went to shake my head, then thought better of it. "No."**

"**Glock 22. Meaning I could put eight bullets into your head before you could scream for your boyfriend. Now, I want you, one step at a time, to slowly go get in that boat."**

**"I don't have a boyfriend," I whispered, thinking of Ben.**

**"I'm not stupid. I was there when you broke into LIRI. I saw you kiss the tall one."**

**_Shit._  
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**I walked down to the boat he'd mentioned. I felt around desperately for Ben's rope, unable to find it. My captor handed me a pair of handcuffs, and told me to put them on. Fighting off panic, I listened.**

**Finally, as the boat roared to life, I found Ben's rope.**

_**Ben, FLARE NOW!**_

**I don't know if it was the desperation in my mental shout, or the fear coursing through all four of us, but his rope flared white hot. _We're coming, hold on, we'll follow in _Sewee.**

**I could feel the desperation and self-loathing in his voice.**

_**Alright. Hurry, **_**please. _And nothing in this situation is your fault._**

**When I realized where we were going, I almost cried out in relief. Loggerhead. We knew that island better than anyone.**

_**Loggerhead. **_**I shot down Hi's line, who seemed to be panicking the worst.**

**Once we docked, the man managed to tie a blindfold around my eyes one handed, still holding a gun to my head. My fear had gotten so bad it was now a sort of listlessness. **

**I brushed my cuffed hands against everything I could, under the pretense of feeling my way. In reality, I was leaving a trail for the boys to follow. Their sense of smell might not match mine, but it worked fine all the same.**

**When the blindfold finally came off, I was standing in front of a high-tech lab that was _not _part of LIRI.**

**Well, now we know why Turtle Beach was off limits.**

**Inside, there were four other men. Unlike the first, these weren't buff, gun wielding psychos. There were scientists, and from their faces, I could see they were following the old saying, "the end justifies the means."**

**I hated that saying.**

**They looked at me quizzically, then had me sit in a chair, before pricking my arm with a needle. **

**That's when the windows blew in.**

**My friends – my _amazing_ pack rushed in. They moved like one, Ben and Hi taking the scientists and hit man, Shelton rushing over and helping me snap my handcuffs.**

**He ran to help Hi with the remaining two scientists, and I ran up behind the hit man who Ben was throwing punches at, grabbed his Glock, and clocked him on the head.**

"**Nice," Ben panted, eyes a brilliant gold. **

"**Thanks," I grinned. Hi and Shelton ran up and seized me in a hug, grabbing Ben as they went. I laughed, and squeezed them tightly. **

"**We should go, in case they wake up."**

**They boys nodded in agreement, all panting.**

**SNUP**

**Our flares died as one. Walking at a normal, human pace, we left the lab. We were all joking, laughing and teasing each other, giddy from relief. **

**That was, until we heard the piercing gun shots cracking out over the still forest. Birds flew from the trees as we shot towards _Sewee _in a dead sprint.**

**The last thing I felt was a agonizing, burning pain in my back before everything faded to black.**

****So.. major cliffy.. Sorry about that.

I'm leaving for Florida on Friday. I'll try to get up an update for tomorrow, but if not, you can expect a super chapter on April second, with a whole bunch of Tory/Ben goodness, and more of the mystery, of course.

Hope you guys liked this chapter. I loved writing it.

Oh, and thank you so much for the amazing reviews. Seriously, I love you guys. They make my day, and motivate me to keep writing! So, win win all around.

~V13


	9. Sickrooms to Ships

****Okay, this is really late (along with the chapter) but, DISCLAIMER: I, unfortunately, do not own Tory or the rest of the Virals.**  
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**The sound of beeping and liquid dripping was the first thing I heard. You know something's wrong when you wake up to those sounds. Peeling my eyes open took a herculean effort. Once they were opened, I almost decided it wasn't worth the bother and closed them again.**

**Before I saw Ben, Hi and Shelton passed out in various places around the hospital room.**

**I shook my foot until Hi woke up, who had fallen asleep on my leg.**

**He jolted awake, yelling something about how he didn't do it. Yeah, okay. "Ben, Shelton, she's up!"**

**They shot upright. "Tory!" Shelton yelled. Ben calmly walked walked over at pressed the nurses button. **

"**What happened?" I muttered.**

"**You got shot in the back." Hi said. **

**I groaned. "Of course I did." I paused. "Where's Kit?"**

"**He had to go to work. He stayed here for three days, before some urgent turtle call came in or something. He only left after making sure you'd be fine, and after making us promise we'd be here when you woke up." Shelton chattered. **

**Ben stared at me.**

"**What?" Was there something on my face?**

"**You get kidnapped, then shot. You're the smallest target; how'd they hit you?" He shook his head. "You have some seriously screwed up luck."**

"**Tell me about it," I muttered.**

**The nurse bustled in, shooing the boys out. I sighed.**

**Sitting in a wheelchair sucked. For someone who liked to go, go, go, it was hard to let myself be wheeled around.**

**I cheated a little, of course. But nobody ever told me to _not_ sneak out the window, right? I didn't need the wheelchair anymore anyways. It was just to reassure Kit. But if I got caught up on the roof at night – yikes. **

**Shelton and Hi helped me into _Sewee_ while Ben started her up. I folded my arms across my chest, and glared over the steely gray water. **

**Ben rolled his eyes at me. "Don't complain about being helped. You're lucky your dad lets you do this. You think my parents would be so willing to let me go out after I got _shot?_ Um, no. And if you rip those stitches, it's gonna take that much longer to heal."**

**I scowled. "I know. But you guys don't know where Karsten's body is. How are you supposed to find it?"**

**They shrugged. "Put the location in our heads." Hi suggested. "As long as you don't root around to much while you're in there."**

"**Keeping your big date secret, Hi?" I muttered sourly.**

**He chuckled. "Nope. But I don't think you'd appreciate the details."**

**I smiled reluctantly. **

"**Especially the ones where I drugged you and Ben and watched what happened."**

**I made a grab at him, but he was already dancing away, happy eyes glinting gold. Of course, since he was Hi, he took one step to far. The boat tipped dangerously, and I went flying over the side. **

**As I tried to swim, pain blossomed like a devil flower in my back. Bubbles flourished around time, I had landed on Ben. This time, Ben landed on me. _Not again._**

**When we surfaced with his arm around my waist, the boat was still upright. I guess it had tipped enough to send me flying out, and Ben had jumped in after me. **

**Thank the Lord. Ben would've killed Hi if anything happened to his baby.**

**Hi and Shelton hauled us cursing and soaked out of the cold ocean water. I was shivering, and Ben looked ticked. He glared at Hi. "Really, dude?"**

**Hi backed up again. "Stop!" I yelled.**

**Everyone looked at me, and burst out laughing. "Oh, just go for a swim."**

**After flaring one by one – Ben had flared after jumping in the freezing water – they dove in. Shelton had his waterproof camera to take a picture of the body. **

**Picturing the body at the bottom of the lake, I flared easily. Mentally wiggling around until I was comfortable seeing through Ben's eyes, and directing thoughts into his head, I took a look around.**

_**Swim straight, and turn left at that next rock. **_

_**Got it.**_

**I pulled back a little, just enough so I would be able to hear him when he said. **

_**Green eyes...**_

**I wrinkled my nose. _Huh?_**

_**What? Nothing!**_

**_Why did Ben just go beet red? _Hi's thoughts floated over to me. He was getting better at projecting his thoughts, but I was still the only one who can hear him.**

_**Not sure. I thought he thought something about green eyes, but when I asked he said nothing.**_

_**Okay, after the most confusing explanation I've ever heard... Tell me Tory, what colour are your eyes?**_

**I flushed. _Red. You all think I'm evil anyways._**

_**Fine, be in denial.**_

**I rolled my eyes.**

_**Tor? **_**Ben thought. **

_**Yeah, I'm here.**_

_**We found it.**_

**I was in a state of disbelief when they came up and showed me the pictures. I had thought for sure that the body would've been moved – by the killers or the currents. But the body was clearly his – scrawny body, lab coat, bright yellow sneakers. **

"**Holy crap," I murmured. **

**The boys nodded in agreement. **

"**This is bad." Shelton muttered.**

"**Tell me about it," Hi groaned. "Two dead bodies in a year? How much worse could our luck get."**

**Oh, please, don't let that be a jinx. "Well, let's get this back to my dad."**

**On the way back to the bunker, I kept thinking about Ben and his "green eyes" comment. I snuck a few peeks at him through a curtain of red hair, but, like usual, the guy remained strong and silent.**

**Sweet Jesus, he was killing me. **

**And with that thought, it was like a curtain was raised. I did like him. Not because he was one of the only options – because, seriously, for status Jason would've been an amazing catch – but because he was my friend first. He protected me, and the pack. If I was the idiot who pulled all the crazy stunts, Shelton was the brains, Hi was the evil genius, then Ben was the glue that held us all together. He didn't have my impulsiveness, Hi's sarcasm, or Shelton's nervousness. **

**He was just Ben. Always there, watching out for us. Maybe he felt some responsibility as the oldest, but I doubted it. That was just his thing. On one hand, I was happy that I could _finally _see this. **

**And completely ticked at the same time. Having a crush on someone like Ben Blue? Moody as the sea, silent as a grave.**

**Lord help me.**

**Kit was frantic. And ticked. Muttering about how I got my self into these things, he printed out the pictures to take to the police. **

"**Tory, Whitney will be here in fifteen minutes."**

**I choked. "Huh?"**

"**Junior deb thing or something, she said. Jason will pick you up."**

**I groaned. A fitting ending for how my day was going so far.**

Wow. I feel terrible. Almost two weeks without an update, and you still reviewed and favourited the story. :) I love you guys. I know excuses are crappy to listen to, but I feel like I should point out that you should NEVER underestimate a teacher's ability to take away any life you have outside of school with homework. (I think he's jealous.) If you do underestimate it, you'll end up making promises you can't keep, and then feel like a bum when you can't. But, here's the chapter! Not with as quite as much action as I wanted, but at least Tory's not in denial anymore. Next chapter will be up Monday, and updated regularly on Mondays from now on. And a huge shout out to my AMAZING beta-reader CaseyIsMyValentine. It takes skill to tell someone what wrong about their story, while making it sound as though there's nothing wrong at all at the same time.

Remember, your thoughts are important to me. Hit that blue button and tell me what you thought :) I was thinking this story should have either a) 15 chapters, b) 20 chapters, or c)25 chapters. Review or PM me with what you think.

~V13


	10. Rough Terrain Running

****I do not own Virals.

**A basic thought process as Jason drove us to the dance was _stupid Whitney with her stupid dresses and stupid dances and stupid stupid stupid the Tripod, and Ben, and stupid mystery, stupid gunman, stupid stupid stupid..._**

**I wasn't too pleased.**

**My back was mostly healed, but that didn't mean I wasn't in pain. This was the third cotillion this month. _Why_ did there have to be so gosh darn many of them?**

**Oh, yeah. Because my freaking guardian angel is on vacation.**

**When Jason comes calling.**

**When Ben's in a mood.**

**When the Tripod of Skank stick a target on my back.**

**And when bad guys come gunning for me. With _actual_ guns.**

**My life is messed.**

"**We're here," Jason announced. I shot him a closed mouth smile as we got out of the car.**

**The yacht club was really done up to perfection. White Christmas lights were draped over everything, bathing the place in a soft glow. The lawn looked like someone had measured each blade before snipping it with scissors. Even the water beside it was calm with small waves. **

**I'd rather be at the bunker with Coop and the guys. **

"**Tory!" Great. Madison.**

"**What's up, Maddy?"**

"**What are your weirdo friends doing here? I invited Ben, not the rest of your circus."**

**For a second, I didn't get it. Until I heard my name called again, and turned around to see Hi and Shelton jogging up.**

"**What are you guys doing here?" Trying to sound stern was pointless. I didn't even bother trying. **

"**We're casing the joint!" Hi crouched down, eyes darting everywhere. He pretended to catch sight of Madison, and ran to hide behind the snack table, yelling, "We've been infiltrated by the enemy. Abort mission! Abort, abort!"**

**I shot Shelton a look. That was a little strange, even from Hi.**

**He shrugged. "I'm not sure what that was about, but we're here for moral support, and all that junk."**

**Madison sneered. "Oh, how cute. But everyone junior deb can only bring _one _guest. And she brought Jason."**

**_Think fast. _"Yeah, but Jason _is _a deb, meaning he isn't my guest."**

**She hesitated. "Fine, but still _one _guest. Even if there's only one brain between the two of them, there's still two bodies."**

**Now, for Madison, that was a pretty good comeback. Even if Hi and Shelton were smarter asleep than she'd ever be awake, that was a point. There were two of them, and one of me.**

**I was about to tell her do something with herself that anatomically impossible, but Jason beat me to the punch. "Lay off, Maddy. One can be Tory's guest, the other can be mine."**

**Hi, who had returned, grinned. "Dibs on Tory."**

**Shelton and Jason eyed each other, and I couldn't help but burst into laughter. I jerked my chin up at Madison. "You said Ben was here. Where?"**

**She was about to answer, when Ben himself came running over. **

"**Speak of the devil," I grinned. Then I realized he was wearing sunglasses.**

**Grabbing his arm, I dragged him a little bit away from the others. "What are you doing?"**

"**There's something you should probably know." He hissed.**

"**Well? What is it?"**

**The doors slammed open. A guy stood there, probably about twenty. "Victoria Brennan," the voice thundered around the room. The guy cocked a gun.**

**SNAP**

"**And, now it's time to go," I muttered. "Hi! Shelton!"**

**The four of us beat it for the door, with Gun Guy chasing us. The five of us were out of there like bats out of hell. **

**Thank God the yacht club let out into the bushes. That was _our _element, where the wolves ran wild.**

**Gun shots rang out, and we ran harder. Beside me, Hi stumbled and fell. "Come on!" I yelled, pulling at his arm. **

**He shook me off. "I can't keep up with you guys anyway! Just go."**

"**Like hell," I grumbled. "Get up, before I run back to them."**

**He pushed himself up, and we took off again. We plowed into Shelton and Ben as they were running back for us. "Let's go!" Ben yelled. **

**My mind went blank as we ran. All that keyed in was the pounding of my feet, and the harsh breath ripping in and out of my lungs. **

**I tripped and fell several times, but there was always a set of hands to help me up and keep running. I was that pair of hands for someone else a couple times. By this point my dress was ripped and stained. Whitney was going to flip. Served her right anyways. Signing _me _up for cotillion?**

**And why was I thinking about this now?**

**The moon cast weird shadows through the tree branches. The gun shots behind us were so not helping. **

**I fell again, and didn't bother getting up. Ben yelled at me, "get up!"**

"**No!" I yelled back. "I can't keep running. We need to split up and hide. Then meet up at _Sewee _in half an hour."**

**He nodded slightly. "Fine. Make sure you hide well." He ran off to tell Hi and Shelton. I ghosted through the forest, wondering how I had gotten us into this mess. I found a high enough tree, and settled in the crook of the branch. **

**The whole time I was up there, I was worried about the guys. I couldn't believe I had suggested we split up. Was I insane? **

**When it was finally considered long enough to get down, I ran for where Ben had docked _Sewee. _Thanks to the flare, my sense of direction was flawless.**

**SNUP**

**Well, crap.**

**I crashed blindly through the woods, and miraculously ended up at _Sewee. _**

**Shelton and Hi were there. I stumbled onto the boat. "Where's Ben?"**

**They looked at each other, then at me.**

**Before they could respond, gunshots ripped up the night in quick succession.**

"**No!" I screamed, and lunged to get off the boat. Hi and Shelton grabbed for me, and held me as I kicked and screamed.**

**Suddenly, Ben came tearing out of the woods, eyes golden. He jumped in, started the boat, and we sped off over the still water.**

****I hate writer's block. Sorry guys! But I'm almost done the next chapter, which I will have up as soon as it's finished and my lovely beta reader CaseyIsMyValentine gives her thoughts :) I've decided on twenty chapters, so the plot doesn't turn into them just running from bad guys through the woods, which has happened about three time now.

Hope you guys liked it. Let me know what you thought.

~V13


	11. The Worst Idea

**Three day after the cotillion, and we were acting like everything was normal. This could either be an awesome idea, or a completely horrible one.**

**I was thinking horrible. No one else agreed with me, though. I was out voted.**

**Stupid democracy.**

**The boys had argued that if we told something about what was happening now, we'd have to tell them _everything._ I guess they had a point. Still, I had a feeling this was going to come back to bite us in the butt. Big time.**

**I swung my bag over my shoulder as I got up from my desk in Biology. Spinning the dial on my locker, I could see Jason walking up. I groaned, and resisted the urge to slam my head against the metal door. **

"**Hey Tory," He smiled. **

**I smiled back tightly. "Hi Jason. What's up?"**

"**I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner tonight?"**

**Before I could come up with a lame, totally see through excuse of why I couldn't, guess who was the unexpected saviour?**

**Ben Goddamn Blue.**

**Of course.**

"**Sorry, Justin. She's with the island crew tonight."**

**Jason sighed in frustration. "How many J names do you know?"**

"**Apparently all of them, except yours." Of course, let's add Shelton and Hi to this mix. That's a brilliant idea.**

**Sometimes I think the universe is playing some massive practical joke on me. **

**Shelton chuckled. "Didn't he call you Jessica once?"**

"**No, no." Hi said grinning. "I think it was Julia."**

**Okay, I was probably going to regret this later, but I couldn't help it. I busted up laughing. Ben shot me a wink.**

_**Wait, what?**_

**Hi grinned at me. This was not going to turn out well. "She's not actually out with the _whole _crew."**

**And, I was right. **

**Either he heard the cussing out I was mentally giving him, or he'd been on this whole track. Just slightly off what I assumed it to be. "We've got a date. But keep it on the down low, will you?" He offered me his arm. "Ready to go, madame?"**

**I rolled my eyes, a smirk rolling around my mouth. "Right after I grab my diamond necklace."**

**Suddenly, Hi made a shift that made him seem, well, high. **

"**Shut up!" he hissed. "Why would you bring up that? It was obtained in a _heist_, Victoria!"**

**And with that, he grabbed my wrist and dragged me down the hall with Ben and Shelton following. All of us laughing loudly and wildly. **

**Three hours later, we were all in the bunker. Hi and Shelton were playing cards, I was playing tug of war with Coop – and losing – and Ben was bouncing a ball off the wall. Every now and then, one of us would chuckle as they remembered what happened at school. **

**Finally, Shelton shook his head. "Alright, down to business. What the _hell_ are we going to do?"**

**I rolled my eyes. "I think that's been the main question on our plate for, oh, about a year now."**

**Ben smiled. **

**Shelton sighed. "I think Tory was right. We need to tell someone. We _still_ haven't shown any one the picture of Karten's body."**

**Ben blinked. "Damn. I forgot about that."**

**Hi choked. "How the hell do you forget about that?"**

**Ben scowled. "There's been some other things on my mind."**

**For a second, I got a terrible feeling, like someone had walked over my grave. But after a second, it passed, and I tried to relax. **

**I shouldn't have bothered. A second later, a crowbar shattered the window into a million little shards. **

**SNAP**

**Chaos ensued. I got flashes of Hi yelling, Shelton ducking away from the window. **

**Someone pulling Ben out of it. **

**With a curse that would've had me grounded for a month, I sprinted out the door. I could hear Ben yelling obscenities at someone, and an ATV ripping to life.**

**The forest whipped past me as I ran as fast as possible. Even flaring, my lungs and muscles burned. I guessed the pounding footsteps behind me were Hi and Shelton's. At least, I hoped they were. I wasn't about to stop and check. **

**My mind raced through a million questions as I flew over the rocky ground. What did they want with him? I stumbled as I remembered the contract, then swore and ran faster. They were taking him through the forest, so how were they planning to get away? They must know we can track them on land. Unless they were taking a roundabout route to the shore. Trying to tire us out and lose us?**

**Suddenly, I broke through the trees. Dazzling sunlight broke against the waves. **

**They pulled a Ben, bound and gagged, off the ATV, and threw him in a motor boat. **

**I tripped and sprawled out in the sand as the motor roared to life, and they sped away across the bright waves. **

**Hi and Shelton appeared above me to watch as the boat disappeared. **

**I dropped my head to the sand.**

**SNAP**

**My Flare faded. **

**We were alone on the beach, and Ben Blue was gone.**


	12. Where's Ben?

**Chapter 12**

**Ben was cold. **

**His head hurt, and his mouth was dry. There was something tied across his eyes, and there was a rasping, dry sound echoing around the room.**

**It hit him that it was his breathing, made harder by the gag in his mouth. Struggling to sit up, he found out that his arms and legs were bound tightly. Circulation-stopping tight.**

**Panic flooded him, and he tried desperately to flare. Muffled by the gag, every curse word he'd ever heard flew out of his mouth. **

**No dice. The flames stayed locked away.**

_**Crap crap crap. **_**How did the other Virals do it so easily?**

**He froze when the slamming of a door echoed loudly around him. _Big room_, Ben decided, for it to echo like that.**

"**Benjamin Blue." A cold voice said. "Where is the rest of your pack?"**

**He didn't make a move in response.**

**A foot connected with his stomach. Hard. **

**Ben curled in on himself, spluttering and choking through the gag. **

"**Answer me, you stupid mutt."**

**Ben rubbed the gag against his shoulder. _Duh._**

**It was ripped off, along with his blindfold. Ben squinted against the light, realizing that he must've been out for a while to have them so ill adjusted to dim light. **

**He coughed, feeling sweet air enter his lungs properly.**

"**Where am I?" He rasped.**

**The foot connected again.**

**Ben lay choking and shuddering on the floor, desperately trying to get his breath back. **

"**Answer my question, maybe I'll answer yours."**

**Ben stared up at the shadowy silhouette. "No."**

**The foot connected with his face and everything went black.**

Kind of short, but anyways... One more chapter tonight, then one or two tomorrow (because I need to go fix my screw-ups). Hope you enjoy the mass upload, because you definitely deserve it, for sticking around.

Hit the review button to let me know what you think!

~V13


	13. Rescue Mission: Failed

**I stood up, spitting sand out of my mouth and brushing it off my clothes and skin. There was a bitter taste in my mouth that had nothing to do with the dirt.**

**Hi and Shelton were staring at me as if I were a ticking time bomb. Couldn't say I blamed them.**

**Finally, I took a breath and turned to face them. "Hi, go to the police. Tell them what just happened at the bunker, and that Ben's been kidnapped. That, and _only_ that. Nothing about the flares, contracts, or Karsten's body. Got it?" I snapped out the orders like a drill sergeant.**

"**They're not going to like it... and after they still don't exactly trust us."**

"**Go to Ruth. Tell here someone tried to kidnap us, and took Ben. Play up how you were in danger, and she'll blow her lid."**

"**And I'll get put on lock down for life." He muttered.**

"**Okay, fine. And Ben will be dead."**

**He flinched. "Ouch, Tor. Harsh."**

**I ignored him. "Shelton, find out as much as you can about what else the contract entails."**

"**What are you gonna do?" He asked.**

**Hi smiled knowingly. "Going to save her true love, obviously."**

**I punched him on the shoulder. "Last time I checked, Taylor Lautner didn't need to be saved."**

**They rolled their eyes. **

"**I am, however, going to save Ben."**

**They grinned, and chorused good luck as I took off down to the shore. **

**I hopped in the _Sewee,_ and ripped the motor to life. "Sorry, Ben," I muttered, hoping he would forgive me for taking his baby.**

**Even if I was playing rescue, you never knew when it came to his boat.**

**It took me a bit to figure out the reverse steering, how to get the boat to actually move, and one incident where I almost plowed into another boat before I got the hang of it.**

**_Sewee_ sped across the water, which was bright blue and calm as glass. **

**Traitor. **

**As Loggerhead approached in the distance, LIRI blinking in the sun, my heart climbed higher up my throat. There were so many ways that this could go wrong. If - **

**Gritting my teeth, I cut the thought short before I could freak myself out. This would be hard enough as it was. **

**I somehow managed to shut the boat off, then vaulted over the side and started running. **

**I crashed blindly through the trees, the sun making everything seem way too bright and exposed. Something cracked in the woods to my left.**

**SNAP**

**I flew to a stop, listening. I could hear every whisper, rustle, and snap in the woods. My instincts screaming at me, I dropped to a crouch, and – **

_**CRACK!**_

**I took off like a bullet. Branches whipped against my face, and the combination of fear and adrenaline made my mouth taste like pennies. Footsteps crashed through the forest behind me. The trees melted into a green blur as I booked it through the woods, running faster. **

**With a gasped curse, I stumbled, and went rolling down a steep hill. Stones ripped my fingernails as I scrambled for purchase in the undergrowth. Twigs and branches gouged my skin, and I could feel warm blood on my bare arms. Miraculously, I'd worn jeans, despite the risk of drowning in my sweat. **

**Fortunately, something stopped me from rolling any farther. **

**Unfortunately, it was a tree. **

**Every bit of breath in my lungs was knocked out when I hit the tree. It felt like someone had wacked me in the back with a sledge hammer. **

**When my vision cleared, and I could take a breath, I got up and slowly finished making my way to the bottom of the hill.**

**I could feel like twigs in my hair poking my scalp and face, along with dirt and blood smeared on every available surface. If I did manage to get to Ben, I'd probably scare the jujubes out of him.**

**_Great time to be thinking about your looks, beauty queen_, I imagined Hi's snarky jibe. **

**I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, me."**

**Slowly, I started walking through the trees again and quickly realized something. **

**I was totally, and completely lost. **

**SNUP**

**And off my flare. **

_**Goddammit. **_

**That was the minute when something was hard slammed over my head, and everything went black. **


	14. The Door-less Room

"**Tory! Tory!****"**** Someone was shouting my name.**

**I groaned, and mumbled something.**

"**Seriously, Tor, wake up!****"**** When I realized who was talking, my eyes snapped open.**

"**Ben!****"**** I paused. ****"****Well, that rescue mission went horribly wrong.****"**

**He chuckled darkly. ****"****As long as you didn't bring Sewee...****"**

**I changed the subject quickly. ****"****Any idea where we are?****"**** I got up and prowled around the perimeter of the room. It wasn't that big, and seemed to be made entirely of concrete.**

"**None. I'm not even entirely sure we're still on Loggerhead.****"**

**I froze, then swore. ****"****I didn't think of that...****"**

**He rolled his eyes. "When do you ever."**

**"Hey!"**

**He shot me a look. **

**"I think most of the time."**

**Silence. **

**"Alright, half. But that's as low as I'm going."**

**Ben chuckled. "As fun as this is," he said dryly, " we really need to figure out how to get out of here." **

**"There wouldn't happen to be an unlocked door, would there?"**

**He shook his head, and I sighed. "Of course not**."

**There had to be some way to get in and out of the room. Ben had told me that someone came in, asked where the rest of the pack was periodically, then left. Unless they could appear lot of thin air - which would really suck for us - there was a door somewhere.**

**We tapped, kicked, and knocked on every inch of the walls and floor. **

**Nothing.**

**Zip. Nada. Zero. **

**"This is impossible," I muttered, looking up and blowing my tangled hair off my forehead. **

**I froze. "Ben, c'mere for a sec." **

**When he was standing beside me, I pointed straight up, at the dim outline of a trap door on the roof.**

Merry Christmas guys! A little extra present for you. Sorry it's so short. Next chapter will be up soon.**  
><strong>

~V13


	15. Worst Present Ever

**Ben was cold. **

**That was his first thought when he woke up, eyes still closed. The stupid room was all cement, and did not hold heat very well, despite the Charleston heat. Curled up in the corner, he weighed the odds of getting a blanket, then snorted. **

_**Negative one, Benny boy. **_

**He sighed, and opened his eyes. And immediately froze. **

"**Sleep well, Ben?" The rough voice laced with humour sent chills down his back. **

"**I'd sleep better with a blanket." _Might as well give it a shot._ **

**The laugh started a ball of dread in Ben's stomach. His captor never laughed. "No go on the blanket, but I brought you something else that might keep you warm."**

**When the kidnapper came closer, Ben pressed himself back into the corner, but only a package was dropped a few feet from him. **

"**What is that?"**

"**A present." A flash of white teeth in the dark illustrated a feral smile. **

"**No way in hell am I taking any present from _you."_**

**The laugh again. "Sorry, I forgot to include a gift receipt."**

**Ben only had time to see the mess of red hair at the top of the bundle and grasp it's meaning, before everything went black. **


	16. Repercussions and Concussions

**My head hurt. **

**A _lot. _**

_**I need Tylenol. **_**Trying to roll out of bed to do that proved a lot more difficult than usual. ****_Did I get tied up in the blankets or something?_**

**Struggling harder, I got annoyed. Was this Kit's idea of a prank?**

"**Shh," The low voice was familiar. And completely out of place in my bedroom.**

"**Ben?" That's what I said. What came out was "Bbbbnnn?" What the hell?**

_**I am so not in my bedroom. **_

"**I'm going to get you untied, but you have to keep quiet." He hissed when my foot connected. "And stay still, for God's sake."**

**When he finally got my unwrapped, my brain was still slogging. And my head hurt like a sonofabitch. **

**Ben squatted in front of me, scowl in place. **

**I could've kissed him.**

_**Wait, no I couldn't. **_

_**Yes, you could. Stop being so stubborn. **_

_**No, Ben's a friend. That's it.**_

_**You know, for such a high IQ, you really are an idiot.**_

**And now I was arguing with myself. Perfect. **

"**What happened?"**

"**My best guess?" He smirked. "You were playing super hero and got yourself captured." **

**Point for Ben. **

**His smirk disappeared. "What's on your head?" **

**Dizzy, weak and nauseous, I didn't think to stop him when he reached for something on my head. **

**When he made contacted, white star bursts of pain exploded though my vision.**

**I let out a strangled yell and scuttled away from him. When we looked at his hand, it was stained dark red. **

_**That's not good. **_

**Ben frowned. "We really need to get out of here."**

"**No, _really?"_**

**He scowled at me. "You need medical attention, Tor. You're still bleeding and you might have a concussion."**

"**Head wounds bleed a lot." I struggled to get up. Quickly abandoned that plan. **

"**Concussion it is, then." Ben noted. **

**The next hour we searched for a door. **

**Nothing. **

**Zip.**

_**Nada.**_

**We tapped the walls. Felt every inch. Scratched at dents. **

**There was absolutely nothing. **

**It looked as if the captor had tele-ported into the room. **

**Finally, I slumped against the wall, stomach heaving with my vision swimming in front of me. The pain in my head was constant, hot and sharp. **

**I was worse. Much worse. **

**Ben looked worried. "Just lie down. Try and rest a minute." **

**I did as he asked, but it just made everything worse. It felt like I was on the Teacups ride. **

**So when I saw the tiny yellow line on the ceiling forming a square, I didn't clue in right away to what they were. **

**I sat bolt upright. **

"**Tor?"**

**We'd assumed we were in a stand alone building, like our bunker or a tool shed. **

"**Tory?"**

**So we'd tapped the walls, trying to find the door.**

"**Victoria!"**

**There was no door. **

"**Tory Brennan – "**

**There was a trap door. **

**I met Ben's eyes. "We're in a basement." **


End file.
